The Washington Commanders (8-5) enter the final four games with a chance to put a bow on a surprising season.
Coming into Sunday’s game, Washington occupies the final wild-card playoff spot.
Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Marshon Lattimore (former New Orleans Saint) will be heading “home” on Sunday when the Commanders face the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints (5-8) starting quarterback, Derek Carr, will be out. Washington will be without Noah Brown. The Commanders picked up K.J. Osborn off waivers.
The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Washington. The Commanders broke a three-game losing streak with a 42-19 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Keys:
Fast Start: Washington’s offense has gotten off to good starts, which has helped the defense. At times, teams coming off a bye week will take a little time to get back into rhythm, but the Commanders can’t allow the Saints to have hope, especially if the Dome is full.
Make Jake Haener Uncomfortable: When Carr was out earlier this season, the Saints turned to Spencer Rattler for three games. New Orleans went 0-3. This time around, Haener will get the start, which means Washington’s defense needs to take away the Saints’ running game and screen/short passing game. If the Commanders can take away Haener’s safety blanket, he will turn over the ball.
No Short Fields: It will be interesting to see if Kliff Kingsbury attacks the Saints early or plays the field possession game. One thing that could hurt Washington is giving New Orleans a short field, whether via a turnover, special teams, or bad offense. Washington must force the Saints’ offense to have long drives.
